LOCATION FERNANDO NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Calciargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Fernando silt loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; weak thin and very thin platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; moderately calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
B1--2 to 8 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; weak fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; few very fine and fine interstitial pores; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
B21t--8 to 13 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; weak medium and coarse prismatic structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; common fine and very fine interstitial pores; few thin discontinuous clay films on peds and in pores; few thin lime splotches; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
B22t--13 to 24 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and very fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; thin discontinuous clay film on faces of peds; common lime filaments and coatings on faces of peds; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
B3t--24 to 36 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to strong medium and coarse angular blocky; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common fine and very fine interstitial pores; thin discontinuous clay films on faces of peds and in pores and channels; common lime filaments and splotches on faces of peds; interior of peds is noncalcareous and surfaces are strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 14 inches thick)
C1ca--36 to 42 inches; pink (7.5YR 8/4) clay loam, pink (7.5YR 7/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); gradual smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
C2ca--42 to 60 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard; strongly calcareous; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Taos County, New Mexico; 60 feet east of trail and .61 miles north of range well no. 2 along trail on Taos Indian Pueblo tract A.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to the calcic horizon is 25 to 40 inches. Depth to calcareous material is 0 to 4 inches. Thickness of solum ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Fernando soils have 50 to 80 percent silt in the solum and have 0 to 5 percent gravel.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is usually loam, silt loam, or clay loam, but is cobbly loam in some pedons.
The B horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 through 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist and chroma of 2 through 4. It is silt loam, loam or silty clay loam. This horizon has weak medium or coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate or strong medium or coarse subangular blocky.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR. It is soft to semi-indurated. It contains 15 to 25 percent calcium carbonate.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Balon, Bowbac, Cerrillos, Clovis, Cushman, Fattig, Fort Collins, Gaddes, Hagerman, Harbord, Los Alamos, Maysdorf, Millett, Olney, Penistaja, Pokeman, Potts, Progresso, Pugsley, Scholle, Spenlo, Stoneham, Tapia and Toluca series. Balon, Bowbac, Fort Collins, Gaddes, Harbord, Maysdorf, Potts and Stoneham soils lack a calcic horizon. Bowbac, Cushman, Fattig, Hagerman, Progresso and Pugsley soils have bedrock at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Cerrillos, Millett and Toluca soils have solum thickness of less than 20 inches. Clovis, Fort Collins, Harbord, Maysdorf, Olney, Penistaja and Stoneham soils have less than 50 percent silt in the B2t horizon. Los Alamos soils have highly pumiceous material at depths of 20 to 50 inches. Pokeman soils have gypsum or alabaster at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Scholle soils have 15 to 35 percent gravel in the control section. Spenlo soils have solum thickness of more than .40 inches. Tapia soils have a weakly cemented layer of caliche fragments at depths of 16 to 35 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fernando soils are on alluvial fans and uplands and have slopes of 0 to 7 percent. They formed in silty calcareous sediments derived from mixed material. Elevation is 6,500 to 7,700 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 9 to 12 inches. The mean annual temperature is 46 degrees to 50 degrees F. The frost-free season is 120 to 135 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Harvey, Panky, Prieta, Sedillo and Servilleta soils. Harvey soils lack an argillic horizon. Panky soils have a fine control section. Prieta and Servilleta soils have bedrock at depths of less than 40 inches. Sedillo soils have a skeletal control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for rangeland, but small acreage is used for irrigated cropland. The principal native vegetation is big sagebrush, galleta, broom snakeweed, western wheatgrass, blue grama and cactus.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: High intermountain valleys of north-central New Mexico. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Taos Irrigated Area, Taos County, New Mexico, SCS, 1941.
REMARKS:
In October 2000, taxonomic classification was converted to the closest match found in Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition 1999. No update was made to horizon nomenclature, competing series section, etc. Other placements may be more appropriate after a complete update.